Raynaud's disease

The little blood vessels which run along the sides of the fingers and toes constrict in an exaggerated fashion as soon as they are exposed....

04/12/2014

Question

I think I suffer from bad circulation – when it is hot my hands and feet go extremely red and tingly and when it is cold they are practically freezing.

Is there anything I can do about this, as it is often quite uncomfortable?

Answer

This sounds to me as if you may be suffering from Raynaud's disease, especially since you've had it for as long as 20 years.

Raynaud's disease is in fact very common and is much more common in women than men. It is an abnormal sensitivity of the small blood vessels in the extremities to even moderate degrees of cold temperature.

The little blood vessels which run along the sides of the fingers and toes constrict in an exaggerated fashion as soon as they are exposed to cool temperatures.

The skin of the fingers and toes first turn white as the blood supply is cut off, then blue as trapped blood in the tissues loses its oxygen, and then later, as the hands are getting warm again, there is intense redness and pain as the blood comes flowing back through the blood vessels.

It is important to stop smoking if you still smoke as nicotine constricts arteries further. It is also worth wearing gloves and several pairs of socks and if these are insufficient you can actually buy mitts and socks, which are electrically heated by a small battery.

Medical treatments may come in the form of creams such as Balmosa, available from the chemist or special glyceryl trinitrate available on prescription and made up by the pharmacist.

Alternatively, in more severe cases there are oral tablets that can be taken to keep the blood vessels open.

These are similar to the ones used by people who have blood vessel disease as a result of high blood cholesterol.

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